Editing History of Paraguay (section)

==Modern Paraguay==
The June 1992 constitution established a democratic system of government and dramatically improved protection of [[fundamental rights]]. In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate [[Juan Carlos Wasmosy]] was elected as Paraguay's first civilian president in almost 40 years in what international observers deemed fair and free elections.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} The newly elected majority-opposition Congress quickly demonstrated its independence from the executive by rescinding legislation passed by the previous Colorado-dominated Congress. With support from the United States, the [[Organization of American States]], and other countries in the region, the Paraguayan people rejected an April 1996 attempt by then Army Chief General [[Lino Oviedo]] to oust President Wasmosy.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}

Oviedo became the Colorado candidate for president in the 1998 election, but when the [[Supreme Court of Paraguay]] upheld in April his conviction on charges related to the 1996 coup attempt, he was not allowed to run and remained in confinement. His former [[running mate]], [[Raúl Cubas]], became the Colorado Party's candidate and was elected in May in elections deemed by international observers to be free and fair.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} One of Cubas' first acts after taking office in August was to commute Oviedo's sentence and release him from confinement. In December 1998, Paraguay's Supreme Court declared these actions unconstitutional. After delaying for two months, Cubas openly defied the Supreme Court in February 1999, refusing to return Oviedo to jail. In this tense atmosphere, the murder of vice president and long-time Oviedo rival [[Luis María Argaña]] on 23 March 1999, led the Chamber of Deputies to [[impeachment|impeach]] Cubas the next day.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} The 26 March murder of eight student anti-government demonstrators, widely believed to have been carried out by Oviedo supporters, made it clear that the Senate would vote to remove Cubas on 29 March, and Cubas resigned on 28 March.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} Despite fears that the military would not allow the change of government, Senate President [[Luis González Macchi]], a Cubas opponent, was sworn in as president that day. Cubas left for [[Brazil]] the next day and has since received asylum. Oviedo fled the same day, first to Argentina, then to Brazil. In December 2001, Brazil rejected Paraguay's petition to [[extradition|extradite]] Oviedo to stand trial for the March 1999 assassination and "Marzo Paraguayo" incident.

González Macchi offered cabinet positions in his government to senior representatives of all three political parties in an attempt to create a coalition government. While the Liberal Party pulled out of the government in February 2000, the Gonzalez Macchi government has achieved a consensus among the parties on many controversial issues, including economic reform.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} Liberal [[Julio César Franco (politician)|Julio César Franco]] won the August 2000 election to fill the vacant vice presidential position. In August 2001, the lower house of Congress considered but did not pass a motion to impeach González Macchi for alleged corruption and inefficient governance. In 2003, [[Nicanor Duarte]] was elected and sworn in as president.

On 1 August 2004 a [[Paraguay supermarket fire|supermarket in Asunción burned down]], killing nearly 400 people and injuring hundreds more.<ref name="reliefweb">{{cite web|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/8eb057a390eb46ad85256ee5005a6b6e?OpenDocument|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805131004/http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/8eb057a390eb46ad85256ee5005a6b6e?OpenDocument|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 August 2012|publisher=reliefweb.int|title=At least 300 killed in explosions, fire at Paraguay supermarket - Paraguay &#124; ReliefWeb|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref>

On 1 July 2005, the United States reportedly deployed troops and aircraft to the large military airfield of [[Mariscal Estigarribia]] as part of a bid to extend control of strategic interests in the Latin American sphere, particularly in Bolivia. A military training agreement with Asunción, giving immunity to US soldiers, caused some concern after media reports initially reported that a base housing 20,000 US soldiers was being built at Mariscal Estigarribia within 200&nbsp;km of Argentina and Bolivia, and 300&nbsp;km of Brazil, near an airport which could receive large planes ([[B-52]], [[C-130 Hercules]], etc.) which the [[Paraguayan Air Force]] does not have.<ref>{{Cite news |title=U.S. Military Moves in Paraguay Rattle Regional Relations |publisher=[[International Relations Center]] |date=14 December 2005 |access-date=1 April 2006 |url=http://americas.irc-online.org/am/2991 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612192202/http://americas.irc-online.org/am/2991 |archive-date=12 June 2007 }}</ref><ref name="Clarin">[http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/zona/2005/09/11/z-03615.htm US Marines put a foot in Paraguay] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327063628/http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/zona/2005/09/11/z-03615.htm |date=27 March 2009 }}, ''[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|El Clarín]]'', 9 September 2005 {{in lang|es}}</ref> The governments of Paraguay and the United States subsequently declared that the use of an airport (Dr Luís María Argaña International)<ref name="worldaerodata">{{cite web|url=http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=PA60316&sch=SGME|publisher=worldaerodata.com|title=World Aero Data: DR LUIS MARIA ARGANA INTL -- SGME|access-date=2017-01-07|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175517/http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=PA60316&sch=SGME|url-status=dead}}</ref> was a point of transfer for few soldiers in Paraguay at the same time. According to the ''[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]]'' Argentinian newspaper, the US military base is strategic because of its location near the ''[[Triple Frontera]]'' between Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina; its proximity towards the [[Guarani aquifer]]; and, finally, its closeness toward Bolivia (less than 200&nbsp;km) at the same "moment that Washington's magnifying glass goes on the ''[[Altiplano]]'' and points toward [[Venezuela]]n [[Hugo Chávez]] as the instigator of the instability in the region" (''El Clarín''<ref name="Clarin"/>), making a clear reference to the [[Bolivian Gas War]].{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

For the 2008 general elections, the Colorado Party had as a candidate Minister of Education [[Blanca Ovelar]], the first woman to appear as a candidate for a major party in Paraguayan history. Former Roman Catholic bishop [[Fernando Lugo]], a long time follower of the controversial [[Liberation Theology]] but backed by the [[center-right]] Liberal Party, was elected.<ref name="LaNacion"/> Outgoing President [[Nicanor Duarte]] reflected on the defeat and hailed the moment as the first time in the history of his nation that a government handed power to opposition forces in an orderly and peaceful fashion. Lugo was sworn in on 15 August 2008 but later [[Impeachment of Fernando Lugo|impeached in 2012]], succeeded by Vice President [[Federico Franco]].<ref name="LaNacion">{{cite web|url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1484375-federico-franco-sera-el-nuevo-presidente-paraguayo|title=¿Quién es Federico Franco, el nuevo presidente paraguayo?|trans-title=Who is Federico Franco, the new Paraguayan president?|language=es|date=22 June 2012|newspaper=[[La Nación (Argentina)|La Nación]]|access-date=22 June 2012|archive-date=19 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119070319/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1484375-federico-franco-sera-el-nuevo-presidente-paraguayo|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Paraguay President Fernando Lugo impeached by congress |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-18553813 |work=BBC News |date=23 June 2012}}</ref>

As a result of the [[2013 Paraguayan general election|2013 elections]], [[Horacio Cartes]] was [[2013 Paraguayan general election|elected]] president, returning the Colorado Party to power.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/world/americas/horacio-cartes-wins-paraguays-presidential-election.html|title = Conservative Tobacco Magnate Wins Presidential Race in Paraguay|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 22 April 2013|last1 = Romero|first1 = Simon}}</ref> Cartes wanted to amend the constitution to allow for presidential re-elections, but [[2017 Paraguayan crisis|widespread protests and political opposition]] led him to abandon this goal and he agreed to not seek another term. In August 2018, [[Mario Abdo Benítez]] sworn in as his successor after winning [[2018 Paraguayan general election|2018 presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 August 2018 |title=New Paraguayan President Abdo Benítez sworn in |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45200965}}</ref> The 2023 [[2023 Paraguayan general election|elections]] resulted in [[Santiago Peña]], a right-wing candidate of the long-ruling Colorado Party, being elected as next president.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amid protests, authorities uphold legitimacy of Paraguay election |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/3/amid-protests-authorities-uphold-legitimacy-of-paraguay-election |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref>  On 15 August 2023, Santiago Peña was sworn in as Paraguay's new president.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Desantis |first1=Daniela |last2=Elliott |first2=Lucinda |last3=Elliott |first3=Lucinda |title=Paraguay's President Pena sworn in, Taiwan VP in attendance |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/new-paraguayan-president-santiago-pena-sworn-2023-08-15/ |work=Reuters |date=16 August 2023 |language=en}}</ref>